Systems and Methods for Obtaining an Electronic Signature via a Word Processing Application

1. A system for obtaining an electronic signature, the system comprising: a digital transaction service; a client device executing a word processing application that is editing a first document, wherein the client device is configured to: load a code module received from the digital transaction service into the word processing application; in the word processing application using an interface provided by the code module, add a signature tag marker at a location in the first document; collect recipient information that identifies a first signer via the code module executing within the word processing application; and transmit the first document and the recipient information from the client device to the digital transaction service; and wherein the digital transaction service is configured to: receive the first document from the client device, wherein the first document includes the signature tag marker that was added to the first document by the word processing application; receive recipient information from the client device; and obtain an electronic signature from the first signer by: preparing a second document that is a non-editable version of the first document and that does not include the signature tag marker; associating a signing tag with a location on the second document that corresponds to the location in the first document; and transmitting a request to the first signer to sign the second document via the signing tag.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the word processing application is configured to: present the interface for the code module within the word processing application, the interface including controls for providing recipient information and for adding signature tag markers to the first document.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the word processing application is configured to: transmit the document and the recipient information to the digital transaction service.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first document references the code module and is configured to cause the word processing application to load the code module when the first document is opened.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the signature tag marker is an image embedded in the first document by the word processor application, wherein the word processing application is configured to move and resize the image within the first document.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the signature tag marker is a button control embedded in the first document by the word processor application, wherein the word processing application is configured to move and resize the button control within the first document.

7. A method for obtaining an electronic signature, the method comprising: transmitting, by a digital transaction service to a client device executing a word processing application to prepare a first document for signature, a code module to present an interface for adding signature tag markers within the first document in the word processing application; receiving, by a computing device within the digital transaction service, from the client device the first document that includes a signature tag marker added at a location of the first document by the code module executing within the word processing application executing on the client device; receiving, on the computing device, recipient information from the client device, wherein the recipient information identifies a first signer and is collected via the code module that is transmitted by the digital transaction service and that is executed by the word processing application; preparing, by the computing device, a second document that is a non-editable version of the first document and that does not include the signature tag marker; associating, by the computing device, a signing tag with a location on the second document that corresponds to the location in the first document; and transmitting, by the computing device, a request to the first signer to sign the second document via the signing tag.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein receiving from the client device a first document that includes the signature tag marker added at the location of the first document includes: receiving the first document from the code module executed by the word processing application.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein associating the signing tag with the location on the second document that corresponds to the location in the first document includes: searching for the signature tag marker within the first document; recording a location of the signature tag marker; removing the signature tag marker from the first document; and producing the second document based on the first document without the signature tag marker, the second document representing contents of the first document in a page description language.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein transmitting the request to the first signer to sign the second document includes: transmitting an email with a link that is operable by a second client device to access the second document at the digital transaction service.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising: causing the second document and the signing tag to be displayed via a Web-based user interface of a second client device of the first signer; receiving, via the Web-based interface, an indication to sign the second document at the signing tag; and associating a signature of the first signer with the second document.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising: receiving from the code module an indication of a signature of a user of the word processing application, the indication obtained by the code module; and storing an association of the signature of the user with the second document.

13. A system for obtaining an electronic signature, the system comprising: a digital transaction service including a computing device communicatively coupled to a network for communication with one or more client computing devices, the computing device configured to: transmit a code module to a first client device in response to a request received from a word processing application executing on the first client device; receive a first document from the first client device, where the first document includes: a signature tag marker at a location within the first document, the signature tag marker inserted in the document by the code module; and recipient information that identifies a first signer inserted in the first document by the code module; extract the recipient information from the first document; and obtain an electronic signature from the first signer by: preparing a second document that is a non-editable version of the first document and that does not include the signature tag marker; associating a signing tag with a location on the second document that corresponds to the location in the first document; and transmitting a request to the first signer to sign the second document via the signing tag.